Eye of the Beholder is a classic first-person dungeon crawler role-playing game based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. Developed by Westwood Associates and released for the SNES in 1991, it tasks you with guiding a party of four adventurers through the dangerous sewers and catacombs beneath the city of Waterdeep to defeat a powerful beholder named Xanathar. The game is celebrated for its atmospheric grid-based exploration, intricate puzzles, and real-time combat that requires quick thinking under pressure.
How to Play
You explore the labyrinth one square at a time, interacting with the environment and fighting monsters in real-time. The SNES port uses a virtual cursor to click on movement arrows, weapons, and spells, while offering controller shortcuts to streamline your actions.
- Arrow Keys (D-Pad): Move cursor / Navigate menus
- Z (A Button): Select / Attack / Interact
- X (B Button): Cancel / Pick up items
- A, S (X, Y Buttons): Additional menu actions
- Q, E (L, R Buttons): Turn party left or right
- Shift (Select): Access character sheets
- Enter (Start): Pause game
Tips
- Keep a balanced party with fighters in the front two slots to absorb melee attacks, placing your cleric and mage safely in the back.
- Manage your party’s food levels carefully. Resting restores hit points and memorizes spells but consumes rations, so find safe areas and rest only when necessary.
- Always check the walls for hidden switches or brick outlines, as they often reveal secret areas with valuable loot or bypass deadly traps.
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